News | Entertainment
16 Dec 2025 10:04
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Never-before-heard interviews with Beatles legend John Lennon have been unearthed as a result of a cleaning spree during lockdown

    The family of late journalist Ken Zeilig were amazed to discover the tapes which contained recordings of conversations between him and the 'Imagine' songwriter - who was murdered outside The Dakota apartment building in New York City in 1980 at the age of 40


    His daughter Hannah Zeilig said: "We always knew from him that he’d hung out with John Lennon and that he’d interviewed John Lennon. But we never heard the interview. He didn’t mention he’d spent time with Yoko Ono as well, which he clearly had."

    The 12 reel-to-reel recordings comprise of three separate interviews thought to have taken place on separate occasions in 1969 and the early 1970s.

    Hannah told Global News: “My sister, who lives in LA, was clearing out her garage and she found a whole bunch of boxes. She wasn’t looking for anything in particular. She was looking to do one of those pandemic clear-outs that we all did"

    In one of the interviews, Lennon - who married Japanese artist Yoko in 1969 - admits to being "prejudiced" towards his own music when asked to name his favourite songs and goes on to discuss his creative process.

    Hannah added: “I found that absolutely extraordinary and so insightful. Like, forget all those self-help books. John Lennon, just, like, puts it really well.”

    The tapes are now up for auction under the guidance of Omega Auctions and are expected to fetch up to $50,000

    Staff at Omega Auctions were quick to share their excitement over the historic discovery.

    Paul Fairweather said: “Just reading the transcripts before we actually heard them was fascinating in itself. hen we actually heard them, it was amazing to hear John speaking because they’re such clear audio recordings that it feels that he’s actually sat in the room with you."

    The tapes will be auctioned off on September 28.

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     16 Dec: Pamela Anderson has been surprised by the reaction to her makeup-free appearance
     16 Dec: Sydney Sweeney loves to explore "different versions of life" through her on-screen characters
     16 Dec: Gwyneth Paltrow "felt a lot of loneliness" in her 20s
     16 Dec: Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's trial has been postponed
     16 Dec: Pamela Anderson enjoyed an "intimate" romance with Liam Neeson
     16 Dec: Sir Richard Branson has thanked well-wishers following the death of his wife Joan Templeman last month
     16 Dec: David Arquette says it is a "balancing act" juggling fatherhood and acting commitments
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Former New Zealand Rugby high performance manager Don Tricker has been called in to oversee the review into the 2025 All Blacks season More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    The Government's making moves to acquire properties for North Canterbury's Woodend Bypass More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Pamela Anderson has been surprised by the reaction to her makeup-free appearance 9:50

    Swimming:
    Swimmer Lewis Clareburt has met the qualifying standard for next year's Commonwealth Games 9:27

    Entertainment:
    Sydney Sweeney loves to explore "different versions of life" through her on-screen characters 9:20

    Entertainment:
    Gwyneth Paltrow "felt a lot of loneliness" in her 20s 8:50

    Politics:
    Students are being encouraged to "persist" as they compete for summer jobs 8:37

    Politics:
    Why can someone in suburban Sydney own 6 guns legally? New laws might change that 8:27

    Entertainment:
    Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's trial has been postponed 8:20

    Law and Order:
    Reddit says it’s not a social media platform. Australia’s High Court is unlikely to agree 8:17

    Law and Order:
    A convicted murderer will remain behind bars after confronting Otago Corrections officers with a knife 8:17

    National:
    Think you know Hans Christian Andersen? Four experts pick his weirdest fairy tales to read this Christmas 8:07


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd